2024.11.14
The Study in Japan Fair held for an unprecedented six consecutive days at Japan House Sao Paulo, attracting nearly 2,000 participants. The Consulate General of Japan in Sao Paulo, JICA Brazil, and ASEBEX, an alumni association for former exchange students, had their own booths and provided consultation to visitors during the six days of event. Japan Virtual Campus (JV-Campus) and Japan hub for Innovative Global Education (JIGE) also had a booth for six days, sharing information about virtual and hybrid ways of doing an exchange to a Japanese university.
On the first day, two roundtables with representatives from local Japanese companies discussed about the importance of exchange studies to Japan and career after graduation. The first session, in the morning, had the participation of companies from the food sector: Ajinomoto, Cermaq and Yakult. Tech companies formed the second session in the afternoon: Hoya, NEC and Mitsubishi Electric. In both sessions representatives shared their trajectories and work experiences, emphasizing that the exchange study to Japan can make the difference when applying to a Japanese company in Brazil. Representatives also mentioned about their working experience in Japan, inspiring and giving hope to participants who are considering studying in Japan.
On the second day, CEGLOC (Center for Education of Global Communication, Univ. of Tsukuba) held an event on Japanese language education in Brazil, co-hosted by Osaka University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan Foundation Sao Paulo and Brazilian Center of Japanese Language. Brazilian and Japanese universities collaborated to discuss and deepen exchanges. At the opening ceremony on November 1, the Consulate General of Japan in Sao Paulo, Mr. Toru Shimizu, Mr. Carlos Augusto Roza, Deputy Director of Japan House Sao Paulo, and Prof. Osamu Oneda, Director of the University of Tsukuba’s International Affairs Bureau, delivered remarks.
Consul General Toru Shimizu said, “I have served as Consul General for a year, but I think this is the first time an event of this scale has been held by universities and institutions, so I am very impressed”. He also called for cooperation in rebuilding the network in Brazil through the Study in Japan fair.
The majority of visitors to the fair were of the younger generation, with a particular interest in exchange programs and international education. Some participants came from outlying areas, such as Cuiabá (Mato Grosso State) and Assis (countryside of São Paulo) to attend the event, reaffirming the high level of local interest to study in Japan and the significance of holding events locally. JV-Campus (Japan Virtual Campus), which participated in this year’s event, set up a play area so that local students could actually experience the online platform. JIGE (Japan hub for Innovative Global Education) was able to widely communicate to local students by introducing their project that blends online and onsite projects.
The fair concluded with a session dedicated to university presentations, conducted by representatives of all participating universities: Yamanashi Gakuin University (iCLA), Kyushu University, University of Tsukuba, Yokohama National University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto University of Advanced Science and Technology, Kansai University, Tohoku University, Chiba University, Nagoya University, and Japan Student Services Organization.
This was the first large-scale study abroad event co-hosted with Japan House for six consecutive days. We were able to realize this project with the cooperation of not only educational institutions, but also local companies, organizations, the Japan-Brazil Chamber of Commerce, and the Consulate General. We will continue to strive to make more Brazilian students interested in studying in Japan.
Number of participants, number of institutions from Japan, etc.
October 29 (Tuesday) to November 3 (Sunday), 2024 Japan House São Paulo: approximately 2,000 visitors; 10 universities and 9 institutions participating on-site; 11 universities and 1 Japanese language school participating with materials; 6 companies participating in company roundtable sessions.
